If you haven’t checked your calendar lately, here’s a free update – it’s officially summer.
In true New England fashion, we’ve once again moved from winter directly to summer, and the heat seems like it’s here to stay for the next few months. Since we don’t really have any beaches in Concord, one might think it would be tough to stay cool (if you’re not a big public pool person, anyway).
One would be wrong.
That’s because we have the Merrimack River and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests Conservation Center right here in our backyard.
Everybody knows about the river, but there aren’t too many places where you can access it and also hang out by the shore for the day. You could try it at the Everett Arena parking lot, but asphalt doesn’t make for the comfiest place to lay down a towel. You could also try the Sewalls Falls access area, but you might spend the whole time dodging boats that are launching from that spot.
That leaves the Conservation Center.
The Conservation Center’s building is on Portsmouth Street, and just down the hill on the same side of the road there’s a small, dirt parking lot meant for those looking to access the trails right next to it. If you walk out of that lot and take a left, you’ll find the trail a few steps away on the left.
I had never been to this spot before, so I decided to check it out – the parking lot was overflowing with cars on this particular day last week, so I figured there had to be good reason.
I entered the trail and basically just followed the main one (there are a few trails that branch off) for about five minutes until I came to a sign at a fork in the path. To the right, I could see water, so that’s where I went (both sides of the fork essentially lead to the same spot, just a few feet apart).
When I got closer to the river, I saw that it was pretty busy – about a dozen people in a few different groups were sunbathing, swimming, playing in the sand, floating in the water, kayaking, lounging in hammocks that had been set up between some trees. It was a real beach atmosphere.
One pair of folks had a great idea – they were out floating around in some inflatable pool rafts. Since it does require a bit of walking through the woods, it might be tricky to lug a kayak or canoe through the trail to this river access point, but those pool floats can be carried in one hand and blown up on the spot.
During the walk to the water, I passed a couple guys heading back to the parking lot carrying fishing rods – no cooler full of fish, but it looked like they still had a good time down by the water. Other people walked by with dogs – some looking like they just took a swim.
There are a few safety-related issues to keep in mind, though. First of all, there are no lifeguards and that river can get pretty strong, so don’t venture too far out there unless you know you’re a strong swimmer. Also, the trail is only open until 8 p.m., so don’t go too late. And, of course, there’s no smoking allowed on the property – that’s a fire hazard.
